Tom and Molly Duffey of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, have made a $5 million gift to create and endow a new student career development program in the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame.

The Duffey Career Development Program will prepare graduate and undergraduate students to compete successfully for professional opportunities and positions that require the skills and knowledge acquired in their Keough School and Notre Dame education. 

“This generous gift from Tom and Molly ensures that our graduates, who are blessed with the values and intellect to change the world, launch their careers with every advantage in a competitive marketplace,” Scott Appleby, the Marilyn Keough Dean of the Keough School, said. “The Duffey Career Development Program will serve students during a critical time of professional and personal discernment as they determine how and where to maximize the impact of their efforts to build a more just, peaceful and secure world.” 

The Duffeys’ gift will fund the appointment of an experienced career development team with the vision and ability to offer relevant resources and guidance in an ever-changing workforce environment. The new team will work closely with the University’s Meruelo Family Center for Career Development and the Notre Dame Alumni Association to expand Notre Dame’s network of alumni and potential employers in the nonprofit, public and private sectors, and to create postgraduate internships and fellowships designed to help students transition from their Keough School studies to successful careers.

Tom Duffey is a 1979 Notre Dame graduate and Molly is a 1979 graduate of Saint Mary’s College. They were married in 1980 at Notre Dame’s Basilica of the Sacred Heart and have three sons: Ryan, Matt and Keenan, who is a 2012 Notre Dame graduate. The Duffeys made a gift to support the opening of the Keough School’s Washington office, and Tom is a member of the school’s advisory council. 

“The Duffeys have been a blessing to this new school, and Tom has been a wise adviser to me and to the other deans and staff. I will always be grateful for their friendship, support and encouragement,” Appleby said.

“Molly and I are thrilled and honored to play a small role in support of the Keough School of Global Affairs,” Tom Duffey said. “Dean Scott Appleby, the staff and the faculty of the Keough School are building something very special at Notre Dame. The Keough School attracts incredible young men and women from all over the world who are passionately committed to making a positive difference in the world. We hope the creation of a formal career development center will establish the guidance mechanisms and outside organizational relationships necessary to help Keough graduates identify and pursue career paths that align with their passion and interest.”

Founded in 2014, Notre Dame’s Keough School of Global Affairs advances integral human development through research, policy and practice; transformative educational programs; and partnerships for global engagement. The Keough School educates and trains global affairs professionals, preparing students for effective and ethical professional leadership in governments, nongovernmental organizations and the private sector. The school offers academic programs at every level — undergraduate, master’s and doctoral.

Originally published by Renée LaReau at news.nd.edu on August 10, 2022.